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7 Best Virtual Mailbox Services for Traveling, Privacy
A virtual mailbox service can be your best friend. They’re great for people who travel a lot or otherwise find it difficult to pick up the mail as often as they would like.
A virtual mailbox service can be your best friend. They’re great for people who travel a lot or otherwise find it difficult to pick up the mail as often as they would like. They are also great for keeping your address private, especially if you run a home based business, and junk mail filtering.
Our Top Picks
Check out our favorites here. Or scroll down for in-depth reviews.
- Best For Freelancers: BusinessAnywhere
- Best Overall: Traveling Mailbox
- Best for Digital Nomads: VirtualPostMail
- Budget Choice: Anytime Mailbox
- Best for Families: iPostal1
- Best for Package Forwarding: US Global Mail Forwarding & Virtual Mailbox Service
- Best for Paperless Offices: PostScanMail
Best Virtual Mailbox Solutions
Traveling Mailbox is the virtual mailbox provider I use myself and recommended to my mom, who isn't very computer savvy. Their top notch support helped her quickly every time she needed it.
This is one of the leading virtual mailbox providers in the US. Their service will scan labels from mail and parcels you get and upload them. You get notified whenever you receive mail. You can then choose whether you want them to (a) just shred it, (b) open it and scan the contents of paper mail or (b) forward mail/parcel to you.
This is especially good if you move or travel a lot and don't ever want to have to update your address with anyone except Traveling Mailbox. They can even deposit checks for you, for an additional fee.
Each plan includes a certain number of recipients, a certain number of mail pieces they will receive each month, a certain number they will scan, etc. If you go over plan limits, there are extra fees, and if this happens often it would probably make sense to upgrade to a new plan.
They give you over 50 physical mailing addresses to choose from, all in the mainland US. There are several to choose from in California alone, making this a particularly good choice if you want a California address.
Also nice: they will actually post mail for you. Upload a PDF, and they will send it per your instructions. Great for saving international postage!
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates start at $15.00 per month (annual discounts are a good deal)
- Privacy and Security: Complies with HIPAA, secure internet portal, secure physical facilities to keep mail safe
- Package Forwarding: Yes, for fees
- Check Depositing: Yes, for additional fee
- Available Addresses: Over 50 Locations all within the US
- Integrations: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Evernote and Bill.com.
- Mobile Apps: Android and iOS
- Customer Support: 7 days a week via Live Chat, Phone, and Email. Support is not outsourced or delegated to anyone else.
- Cloud Storage: Unlimited
- Faxes: Free sending and receiving
- Mail-A-Letter: Upload PDF's and Documents to your account to be mailed from anywhere in the world.
- Shredding: Mark pieces of mail you want them to shred
- BEST FOR: Privacy, Digital Nomads, less tech savvy customers who need quick, helpful support
- Registered Agent Service: No
I'm a former customer of VPM, and the only reason I quit using them was that I needed an address in a state they don't offer as a location. For most people, this isn't an issue.
They've added a lot of virtual office services that are great for freelancers and small businesses. You can use them as a registered agent as long as your business is in one of their states. You can also get virtual office assistants for an additional fee to answer emails, take meeting notes, handle your bookkeeping and more.
From my experience, customer service is very good by email.
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates start at $20.00 per month
- Privacy and Security: Bank level encryption, round-the-clock surveillance monitoring of physical mail location
- Package Forwarding: Yes, for fees
- Check Depositing: Yes, with 5 major banks
- Available Addresses: Locations in 4 states
- Integrations: Through Zapier (you might incur additional fees): Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Slack, Trello, Gmail, MailChimp, Discord and more
- Mobile Apps: No
- Customer Support: By phone or email, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm PST
- Cloud Storage: Unlimited
- Faxes: No
- Mail-A-Letter: They will mail letters for you. This is a custom service so there could be extra fees
- Shredding: Yes, free and done automatically on mail not being forwarded
- BEST FOR: Freelancers who need digital offices, travelers
- Registered Agent Service: Yes
Despite being one of the cheapest virtual mailbox services on this list, Ipostal1 is a great service. Plans are competitively priced, and even more affordable if you pay for an annual plan up front. Plans are based on how many pieces of mail you expect to receive.
All the plans allow 5 recipients for a personal household or for business, 4 recipients plus a business name. This should be enough for most people. If you need more, you can set up an additional mailbox. Ipostal1 is the best service if you're traveling or moving frequently.
This service offers over 900 physical addresses for you to choose. And unlike most services, this one allows you to come and pick up mail at one of their mailbox locations. Pick one near you if that's an option you'd like to have.
Check depositing by mail is available for a fee. You can also receive faxes via iPostal1.
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates start at $9.99 per month
- Privacy and Security: Secure physical facilities to keep mail safe
- Package Forwarding: Yes, for shipping fee
- Check Depositing: Yes, for additional fees
- Available Addresses: Over 2,300 locations worldwide
- Integrations: No
- Mobile Apps: Android and iOS
- Customer Support: Mon-Fri from 9AM to 5PM ET by chat, phone or email
- Cloud Storage: 2 GB secure cloud storage
- Faxes: Available with some plans or with additional fees
- Mail-A-Letter: No
- Shredding: Mark pieces of mail you want them to shred
- BEST FOR: Freelancers/Remote Workers
- Registered Agent Service: No
One of the best things about BusinessAnywhere is how easy the signup process is, even if you're overseas, because they have a virtual notary right in the dashboard. All of these services require that you get a an official post office form notarized. BusinessAnywhere streamlines that process.
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates start at $20 per month for unlimited mail, unlimited scans
- Privacy and Security: Secure physical facilities and digital space to keep mail safe
- Package Forwarding: For the cost of postage
- Check Depositing: No
- Available Addresses: Physical addresses in WY, NM, and AZ
- Integrations: No
- Mobile Apps: Android and iOS
- Customer Support: Via Email
- Cloud Storage: Unlimited cloud storage
- Faxes: No
- Mail-A-Letter: No
- Shredding: Upon request
- BEST FOR: Freelancers/Remote Workers
- Registered Agent Service: Yes
Anytime Mailbox is one of the most popular virtual mailbox providers, with mail scanning and mail and package forwarding. They have the most affordable plans on this list, starting at $5.99. Different locations have different pricing, and you can choose extra options if you think you'll have a lot of items you want them to open and scan, or forward to you.
You choose an address from a network of 1,702 they have worldwide, in the US, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Oceania. Your physical mail will be sent to that address. They scan envelopes so you can look at them online in their secure portal, by phone or computer.You can pick and choose which pieces of mail you want them to open and scan, or shred, or deposit in the case of checks. You can also choose to have a piece of mail forwarded to you.
If you go over your plan limits, you can pay small fees for the extra pieces of mail or tasks. If this keeps happening, you may save money by upgrading your account.
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates as low as $5.99 per month
- Privacy and Security: Secure internet portal
- Package Forwarding: Yes, for fees
- Check Depositing: Yes, for additional fee
- Available Addresses: Over 1800 locations worldwide
- Integrations: None
- Mobile Apps: Android and iOS
- Customer Support: Monday - Friday - 6AM - Midnight PST
- Cloud Storage: Free Unlimited Online Storage
- Faxes: No
- Mail-A-Letter: No
- Shredding: Yes
- BEST FOR: Affordability
- Registered Agent Service: No
Best for Package Forwarding: US Global Mail Forwarding & Virtual Mailbox Service
US Global Mail provides you with a unique mailing address at their secured facility in Houston, Texas, US Global Mail. Their online platform lets you manage your mail efficiently, making requests for scanning, forwarding, or storage.
Where they shine is with package forwarding. They consolidate packages, store them securely, and forward them to you in bulk at the lowest price available.
KEY FEATURES:- Mail forwarding service to any location worldwide.
- User-friendly online platform for easy mail management.
- Package consolidation for cost-saving and simplified tracking.
- Secure storage for temporary or long-term needs.
- Mail scanning for quick access and organization of important documents.
Post Scan Mail range from $15 to $30. They vary according to how many recipients you have, how much mail you get, and how many pieces you expect them to open and scan for you. Some extra features are available for small fees.
They will consolidate mail you need sent to you and send it in one big package. They can also handle your package forwarding at very competitive rates. And if you get junk mail, they'll recycle an unlimited amount of it on any plan.
You choose an address from over 400 available, mostly in the United States with a few outside it. You can access your mail online with your phone, tablet or computer.
They'll store your mail for 30 days, and you can pay a small fee to have them store it longer if you need. Local pickup by you is also an option if you pick an address close to you.
KEY FEATURES:
- Affordability: Rates start at $15.00 per month
- Privacy and Security: Secure internet portal
- Package Forwarding: Yes, for shipping fees + additional fees
- Check Depositing: Coming soon
- Available Addresses: Over 400 locations all within the US
- Integrations: None
- Mobile Apps: Android and iOS
- Customer Support: Mon-Fri: 6am to 8pm PST, Sat-Sun: 7am to 3pm PST by phone or email
- Cloud Storage: Unlimited
- Faxes: No
- Mail-A-Letter: No
- Shredding: Coming soon - currently recycling only
- BEST FOR: Package forwarding
- Registered Agent Service: No
What’s a Virtual Mailbox Service, Exactly?
A virtual mailbox service is an online service that allows you to receive and manage your physical mail and packages remotely. They give you a virtual address that you can use as your mailing address, which can be located in a different city, state, or even country from your physical location.
You can give this address to everybody, set it up as a forwarding address with the post office, or just give it to select people or companies you don’t want to have your home address.
Once you set up your account, they start to receive all your incoming mail and packages on your behalf. As it comes in, they scan your mail and upload the scans to your online account in the company’s website or software app.
You get an email notification so you can then view the scanned images of your mail and packages and choose what you want to do with them. You can either have the mail forwarded to you, shred it, or recycle it.
Most services also handle mail and package forwarding for those pieces you need to physically receive. You can specify how often you want your mail forwarded, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or on-demand.
Some virtual mailbox companies also offer international mail forwarding, which allows you to receive mail and packages from different countries.
Besides mail forwarding, most virtual mailbox services also provide additional features such as package consolidation, where you can consolidate multiple packages into one shipment to save on shipping rates. This can be useful if you need to access important documents or items while you’re traveling or working remotely.
Why Not Just Get a PO Box?
What to Look for in a Digital Mailbox Service
The way these services work may seem complex at first, but it’s simple.
- You set up forwarding from their physical street address (most services offer several of these). This is a matter of completing an official form from the US Post Office.
- Then you tell everyone who sends you postal mail to send it to this new real street address, which the service will give you. Or you can use the USPS mail forwarding service, but read here on why you might not want to trust the post office with mail forwarding.
- Your incoming mail starts going to the digital mailbox service, and they scan the outside of each envelope for you to look at. Then you tell them whether to forward your mail, scan it, or shred it.
- Yes, you can continue using your real address for important mail or anything you want and just use the virtual address to catch the junk mail (most of them offer junk mail filtering so you never even see it).
What’s the Top Virtual Mailbox Service for You?
In choosing one of these services your first step is to identify what you most need. Some services are better or cheaper than others at certain things. You’ll need a mailbox service that offers the services you need at the best possible price.
Consider the following:
- Do you mainly need a service to forward your packages to where you’re traveling or staying? And do you need package storage?
- Is your main goal simply the privacy of having an address to give out that’s not your home, like a virtual business address?
- Do you need check depositing services?
- Do you receive a large amount of mail? Check whether your plan includes enough mail items per month.. Do you need physical mail storage?
- Do you need services like indefinite virtual mail storage? Or mail shredding? Do you care how they recycle mail items?
- Do you need a virtual office or virtual business assistance?
- Is it important for your service to integrate with another service you use, like Dropbox or Google Drive?
- Do you need a physical address in a particular region?
- Do you want a virtual mailbox provider with a physical location close enough for you to go pick up packages?
- Do they need to be able to receive legal documents on your behalf?
- Will the basic plan work, or do you need more mail recipients or users, or additional services?
Who Needs Virtual Mail?
Here’s a quick look at the types of people who benefit from having a virtual PO box where they can access business or personal mail anytime online. A virtual mailbox account can make life so much easier and safer if you fall into any of these categories.
Digital Nomads & Frequent Movers
Virtual mail is great for frequent travelers and people with no fixed abode. You may be RVing around the country or jet setting around the globe. Or you may just spend a lot of nights away from home as part of your job.
Instead of dealing with the post office and vacation mail stops, or asking a neighbor to grab the mail for you, your virtual mailbox provider lets you manage your mail online and only forward mail you need to have in your hands.
It also gives frequent movers (military personnel, people who move around for business, etc.) a permanent address so they don’t need to constantly update addresses. You get a virtual address, and that’s for good.
Home Based Business
And then there’s the home-based small business owner, freelancer or solopreneur. You need a service that allows you to have a legitimate virtual office address to show to clients or the world at large. That way you can receive your business mail or packages at this address for your business instead of having to give out your home address.
It’s also great if you want to keep your personal and business mail separate. Like, say, if you have kids at home that like to get the mail and sometimes misplace it.
You may also need a virtual mailbox service that offers business services, like a registered agent address or a virtual office.
Rural / No Parcel Addresses
A virtual mailing address is great for those who can’t receive FedEx or UPS parcels where they live. You need a real physical street address for them. You can give them your virtual mailbox address instead. And if you can wait, you can save money by letting them bundle up a bunch of packages and then forward them to you as needed.
Got Amazon Thieves or Package Stealers?
You might choose a virtual mailbox if you don’t have a very secure place to receive parcels, and you’re concerned about someone stealing or damaging them.
Privacy & Security
You may value your privacy on principle, or you may have a violent ex who needs an address to send your support checks. Whatever your situation, a virtual mail service lets you use a virtual address with people and companies you’d rather not give your home address to.
Apartment Residents
And these services also help those who don’t feel secure picking up their mail. For example, you may work late most evenings and live in a courtyard apartment where the mailboxes aren’t well-lit. If you don’t feel safe grabbing your mail, use a virtual mailbox service provider to get your mail.
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